A young South African kayaker following the Amazon River from source to sea is in stable condition after being shot and robbed by a pair attackers while on a Peruvian tributary.

David du Plessis, 24, was paddling down the Ucayali River near the province capital of Pucallpa, when two young men shot him numerous times, according to his father who spoke to the Vancouver Sun.

His mother told media sources that Du Plessis had decided to move closer to the shore after peculiar behaviour from some of the dolphins in the river.

“They started acting out of character by bashing his kayak. He didn’t want his kayak to break so he moved to the edge,” said Robyn Spence Wolff. Unfortunately, two men suddenly appeared from the jungle and Du Plessis’ close proximity to the shore put him within bullet range.

“They set up an ambush and they shot him from the woods,” said his father Louis du Plessis. The first knocked him out of his kayak and into the water, where he was hit a second time as he swam to shore. The final shot hit him when he reached land, said Louis.

Du Plessis then ran 5km through the jungle to the nearest tribe begging for help, something that was almost impossible because of the damage done by the shrapnel.

“He tried calling out but because of the gunshot to his neck, no sound came out,” said Spence Wolff. “He managed to attract their attention and ask for help. They wanted money to help him and when he said he didn’t have any, they took him to another tribe where he was left in a boat for four hours while the people argued about who was going to help him, until he started vomiting blood.”

Du Plessis was then taken downriver in a motorized boat to Pucallpa and eventually flown to a hospital in Lima in large thanks to the beverage company SABMiller, according to his parents.

“When we first spoke he was crying and telling me to come and fetch him,” said Spence Wolff. “I didn’t think he was going to make it.”

In intensive care, it was discovered that he had lost some of his hearing due to shrapnel around his ears and neck, both his lungs were filled with fluid and collapsed, and shrapnel was lodged in his heart.

“If he had gotten shot with anything other than a shotgun he would not be here with us. He is very, very lucky,” said Louis du Plessis.

According to the latest update on his Facebook page World Wonderer – The Amazon, Du Plessis is out of danger and is waiting to find out whether or not the shrapnel around his heart has moved, which will determine the next medical procedure.

“He is in good hands surrounded by the spirit of love. He will pull through. I am going to Lima and will wait till he can come home,” wrote his mother on the Facebook page.

Spence Wolff found out about her son’s attack after she received a phone call from a man named Darwin who only spoke some English. The next few days were a torrent of Facebook updates and phone calls from people around the world trying to help Spence Wolff.

“I need help. Does anyone know anyone in Peru, Davey has had an accident in the jungle, and I do not know where to start,” she wrote on Facebook right after receiving Darwin’s call.

Now both Du Plessis’ father and mother will join him in Lima as he recovers from his traumatic experience.

David, often called “Davey” had set out on his trip in late July from the summit of Mount Mismi, which is believed to be the source of the Amazon. He planned on traveling down the giant river all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Regional police commander in Pucallpa, Col. Cesar Augusto Larrea, told The Associated Press that investigators had gone upriver to locate the attackers but no arrests have been made so far.

Honduran journalist, José Encarnación Chinchilla López, is seeking political asylum in the United States, after his son was shot by two gunmen at his house on 3rd August.

The two gunmen on motorcycles reportedly opened fired on his home with 9-millimeter pistols seriously injuring his son, 24-year-old Jose Alberto Chinchilla Bardales. Chinchilla is a reporter for Radio Cadena Voces in the city of El Progreso, Yoro and claims this is the third attempt on his life.

He asked the US embassy in Tegucigalpa for permission to travel to the US with his wife and four children, Jose is expected to make a full recovery.

A journalist working at the station told the Committee to Protect Journalist (CPJ) that Chinchilla suspected an attack after he wrote a story about local gang activity. He also said that before Friday’s attack he had received threats after writing a piece about a local land dispute.

The news has gained international attention from numerous journalism organizations including the CPJ and The International Press Institute (IPI).

“In the last few years Honduras has become one of the most dangerous countries on earth for journalists. Regardless of the challenges, the Honduran authorities have an obligation to bring killers to justice and to roll back the tide of impunity. Otherwise, this deadly cycle of violence will continue,” said IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills in statement regarding the attack.

According to IPI, three journalists have already died in 2012 with 18 others having been killed since June 2009.

Journalists at the Radio Cadena Voces have been targeted in the past. According to CPJ research, Carlos Salgado was murdered after reporting on government corruption. In that same year the radio’s director had to flee the country after his name appeared on a hit list., In 2009, journalist Rafael Mungía Ortiz was killed in what was deemed “unclear circumstances.”

The increase in attacks against journalists started after former president Manuel Zelaya was removed from office in what the Organisation of American States has called a coup d’état.

Eight people were shot dead in greater Sao Paulo early yesterday as fans celebrated the victory of local team Palmeiras in the Brazilian Cup.

Men on motorcycles and in cars drove through the town of Osasco and open fired in several different locations.

Of the nine people injured seven died on scene while one was transported to hospital but later succumbed to the injury.

Officers said the gunmen took advantage of the partying to disguise their gunshots. Firecrackers rang throughout the streets during the celebration perfectly masking the attacks.

Despite the timing, police said there is no evidence that the shootings had targeted their victims for being football fans and claim that the shootings took place close to bars that sold drugs.

“The criminals took advantage of the time when people were setting off fireworks to disguise the sound of their guns,” a police statement said.

A study released in 2007 lists the homicide rate in Sao Paulo at 17.4 per 100,000 people, Buenos Aires marks 4.6 per 100,000.

Palmeiras won the Brazilian Cup 3-1 on aggregate after two games against Coritiba. In the first game Palmeiras defeated them 2-0 and in the second they tied 1-1.

The victory means Palmeiras will be able to compete in next years Copa Libertadores against Sao Paulo rivals Corinthians.

Corinthians defeated the Boca Juniors last week before a home crowd of 40,000 to win South America’s elite competition.

Police are investigating whether the murder of a Colombian man in Retiro on Tuesday was the product of a hit man.

Various news sources such as Clarín reported that the man was killed by either four or five bullets, and was between 35 and 40 years old.

Police reports say a robbery has been ruled out as a motive for the assassination. The victim was walking down Marcelo T. de Alvear, between Libertad and Talcahuano, when a man standing next to a motorcycle shot him in the head and back.

Witnesses told police that the shooter had arrived on a motorcycle and waited for the victim to appear. The assailant shot the man twice more after he had fallen, before abandoning his bike and fleeing on foot. He was chased by an area security guard, but managed to escape while running down Santa Fe Avenue.

The offender additionally left behind a 9mm pistol, which police have recovered and are taking as evidence.

Specialists are still working to identify the deceased, but have determined his Colombian nationality by the type of clothes he was wearing. Police are speculating that the crime was a “revenge killing” given the initial evidence, and InfoBAE has suggested it may have some connection with drug trafficking.

Police are still hoping security camera footage will shed light on the identity of the killer.

Last night two men entered a Chinese supermarket in Caballito, Buenos Aires, shot the owner in the head and fled.

The victim, who is said to be in his 30s, was taken to the Durand Hospital. He died shortly after being admitted. The police are investigating whether he was a target of the so-called “Chinese mafia,” as nothing was taken from the scene. The incident occurred last night at Primavera supermarket, located on the street Felipe Vallese.

This murder happened 24 hours after another killing in similar circumstances occurred in a Chinese supermarket in the city of Mar del Plata.